Crew Coordinator's Recap of the Field Season

After spending 20 weeks with KELT, I can safely say that I feel satisfied with the amount of tasks I helped accomplish, the quality of work we completed, and that our efforts have aided in the further protection and wise stewarding of the Kennebec River Estuary and its communities.

As the Regional Field Team Coordinator I had the pleasure of spending 10 of those weeks with KELT’s Summer Stewards, Jaron Cook and Xander Bartone, whose value and hard work cannot be overstated. However, the difficulty of our job as seasonal staff would have increased tenfold had it not been for the expert guidance of Stewardship Coordinator Cheri Brunault and for the invaluable help from the volunteers & other staff members our host organizations.

Rhyan at KELT’s Merrymeeting Fields Preserve

Though not my first time working in land stewardship, my time with KELT has been unique in the sense that it was my first time doing so in a supervisory position and while working for four organizations at once. While the Regional Field Team model provides its own set of challenges, it also offers the opportunity for collaboration of all types, the sharing of best practices, and the chance to work with multiple land trusts that each have their own mission and management goals.

Because of this, I am thankful to have had the time to work with KELT and its neighboring organizations as it has helped me expand my skillset, view land protection through numerous different lenses, and gave me the opportunity to carry out meaningful work in a region that is both culturally and ecologically significant.

Rhyan (far right) with fellow Regional Field Team members Xander Bartone and Jaron Cook (left to right).